Fighting despair and boredom in abandoned post-earthquake Haiti

PRESS RELEASE: OMM PIONEERING TRIP TO HAITI APRIL 29

by On MY MIND Foundation on Saturday, April 23, 2011 at 6:34am

Contact: Kim Bancsi

440.781.2355

kbancsi@onmymindfoundation.com

FLORIDA FOUNDATION FIGHTS DESPAIR IN HAITIAN CHILDREN BY FIGHTING ILLITERACY

(Lake Worth, Florida, April 25, 2011) - The ON MY MIND Foundation plans a pioneering outreach trip to Port au Prince, Haiti on April 29, 2011 that will be the first step in a long, steady walk to fight despair and boredom in the abandoned post-earthquake children of Haiti. They have developed a mobile education project focusing on playful learning in basic literacy, music, arts, and athletics.

“It is simple, says Joanis Normil, Executive Director. “Just like a single book can make a lasting impression on you for your entire life, so can a book and a teacher change the life of a child. We want to create a model for alternative education that can be replicated quickly for thousands of kids in Haiti.”

Sometimes humanitarian assistance needs to go beyond food, water, and shelter to restore hope to children who have survived devastating natural and social disaster like the cataclysmic January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. There is nothing more disturbing than the reality of tens of thousands of “rescued” children sitting day after day, despondent and dejected, heart-broken and hopeless, with no motivation to learn, play, or dream.

The goal of ON MY MIND Haiti is to increase literacy and the love of learning through creative community outreach and mobile education.

The April 29 strategic planning trip includes executive staff, board, and volunteers from ON MY MIND Foundation joined by leadership from the Pearson Foundation, the nonprofit global literacy outreach arm of Pearson, one of the world’s largest media companies with 37,000 employees in more than 60 countries.

Discussions and focus groups with Haitian teachers, child psychologists, and social service agencies are planned. Site visits to schools, settlement camps, and orphanages are scheduled in order to plan for innovative and successful mobile literary and education outreach. A building for a teacher’s resource center, children’s library, and ON MY MIND Haiti headquarters is also being identified.

Ben Troupe, NFL Player and Florida Gator Football All-Star, will accompany the April 29 delegation focusing on the power of athletics to build self-esteem and confidence despite all odds.

Jesse Joshua Watson, children’s author and illustrator, will distribute the new Haitian kreyol-language translation of his book “Hope for Haiti” (Putnam Books, 2011) as well as inspire children through hands-on art and reading experiences.

ABOUT ON MY MIND Foundation

Founded in 2010, ON MY MIND Foundation is a new nonprofit organization working to demonstrate the impact that books and joyful learning can have in the fight against despair and illiteracy in children around the world beginning in Haiti. More information on history and how to help can be found at ONMYMINDFoundation.com. For questions and suggestions contact Kim Bancsi at kbancsi@onmymindfoundation.com.